If Eduardo Leite faces an adverse internal scenario in Rio Grande do Sul, the governor of Goiás, Ronaldo Caiado, paved a more solid path to elect his successor, vice-governor Daniel Vilela (MDB). Responsible for one of the best-rated administrations in the country and considered the favorite to be the PSD candidate for President of the Republic, Caiado would leave the position in the hands of Vilela with freedom to operate the government until the elections.
Both Leite and Caiado are competing in a kind of informal preview within the PSD to define the party’s candidate for the Presidency of the Republic. The governor of Goiás is considered the favorite.
Caiado’s vice-president is the son of Maguito Vilela, who headed Goiás between 1995 and 1998. The pre-candidacy was launched on March 14, in an event marked by the formalization of Caiado’s affiliation with the PSD and which was attended by the party’s president, Gilberto Kassab, and the national leader of the MDB, federal deputy Baleia Rossi (SP).
— Daniel Vilela takes over on the 31st (March) and goes to the campaign. He will win in the first round, just like I won in the two elections I contested — predicted Caiado when speaking.
After the break with the PL, which launched Senator Wilder Morais’ pre-candidacy for Palácio das Esmeraldas, Caiado expanded his base and sought the support of members of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s party. At the event in Jaraguá, alongside Vilela, he endorsed four names for the Senate, all from different parties.
First lady Gracinha Caiado, favorite in the polls, was launched by União Brasil. The composition also includes senator Vanderlan Cardoso (PSD), who is seeking re-election; federal deputy Zacharias Calil (MDB); and former Minister of Cities Alexandre Baldy (PP).
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‘Project that worked’
In the dispute for government, Vilela comfortably leads the most recent polls, followed by former governor Marconi Perillo (PSDB) and Wilder. The assessment of local political interlocutors is that the PL candidate should grow when he receives a clearer endorsement from Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) in his campaign for the Presidency.
Vilela argues that the construction of his political base, also made up of Republicans, demonstrates the importance of continuing “a project that worked” in the state. He says that Caiado built a “strong legacy”, with the support of 220 of the 246 city councils in Goiás, which contributes to his pre-candidacy:
— The succession will be conducted with great responsibility and naturalness. The support we have received from mayors and leaders of different parties is the result of dialogue, trust and, above all, the government’s concrete results.
While the PL uses the estimated largest share of the electoral fund and television time to advance over União Brasil cadres in Congress and strengthen state platforms aligned with Flávio, Caiado, recently disaffiliated from União, tries to expand the base around Vilela with the affiliation of members of Wilder’s party. The main movement was that of federal deputy Daniel Agrobom, who left the PL two weeks ago to announce his support for Vilela.
The change was celebrated by Caiado, who defined him as “a respected leader, with a strong presence in the production sector”. Another exit that could occur is that of federal deputy Magda Mofatto, who is considering exchanging the PL for the PSD.
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While Vilela leads the polls, the PT, still without defining its own candidacy to run for government, seeks to attract Perillo to form a strong platform for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the state and strengthen dialogue with agribusiness representatives. As GLOBO showed, the PT’s attempt occurs amidst the commitment to isolate Perillo, as it assesses that the “most radicalized” vote will go to Vilela or Wilder.
In 2022, the rapprochement had already been desired by Lula, but Marconi chose not to join. Former governor with four terms, the tucano established himself as one of the PSDB’s great national cadres at a time when the party was PT’s main rival in the country, which maintains the anti-PT feeling present among its more traditional supporters.
The coordination in the state is led by federal deputy Adriana Accorsi, deputy leader of the PT in the Chamber and president of the local directory. She has a good relationship with the former governor and, in 2011, was appointed by him to the position of general delegate of the Civil Police of Goiás, being the first woman to hold the position. Accorsi is one of those tipped to be nominated for the government if the party decides to launch its own candidacy, although her desire is to remain in the National Congress.
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Recently, Marconi faced significant losses in the PSDB. At the beginning of this month, federal deputy Lêda Borges left the party after 20 years of membership and declared support for Vilela. In January, Goiânia councilor Aava Santiago left to assume the presidency of the local PSB nucleus.
